Blake Griffin was reportedly advised not to sign with Boston when he asked an unidentified Celtics player if he should join the team, earlier this season, according to Jared Weiss of The Athletic. The player told Griffin that the Celtics were dysfunctional.
Weiss wrote, Saturday, that Griffin was “asked a Celtics player if he should join the team midseason and was told not to come to Boston because of the apparent dysfunction.”
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The Celtics struggled throughout the 2020-21 season, going just 36-36, despite making it to the Eastern Conference Finals a season earlier.
Earlier this week, Boston traded star point guard Kemba Walker and two draft picks to the Oklahoma City Thunder for Al Horford, Moses Brown, and a second-round draft pick.
Brad Stevens, who replaced Danny Ainge as president of basketball operations earlier this month, spoke about his decision to trade Walker in a statement: “Kemba is a true professional and a great teammate and player. I want to thank him for his tremendous impact, and the positive contribution he’s made both to the Celtics and the City of Boston.”
Despite the statement, Weiss described Stevens and Walker’s relationship as “tension-filled,” and explained that they did “butt heads, though the pair were considered to have a productive working relationship and mutual respect for one another.”
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